


Traction

by Aryagraceling



Series: Catharsis [13]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Anorexia Recovery, Body Worship, Disordered Thinking Patterns, Mention of Disordered Habits, Multi, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Support Networks Are Important, Threesome - F/M/M, Very Light Femdom, so many feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 18:36:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16749469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aryagraceling/pseuds/Aryagraceling
Summary: Not every day is a step toward recovery but with the right people--with partners who well and truly care--it's easier to fight the urges.





	Traction

****

“Thirty-five pounds.” Sakura stares down at her plate, poking at pieces of chicken as she shoves them around. “I...I didn’t think I was getting that bad.”

Ibiki lays his hand over hers from across the table and with scars stretching over his lips, smiles the quiet smile Raidou knows means adoration. “Sakura,” he says softly, tapping her until she looks up at him. “I could not be more proud of you right now. You know that, right?”

“We both are,” Raidou says. Her eyes fall back to a bit of rice on her chopsticks as his fingers dance over her spine. “You’ve come a long way.”

“I saw a little bit of a stomach today when I put on pants,” she mutters. “It feels like a betrayal to myself.”

Raidou notices the way Ibiki’s fingers tighten before he takes a deep breath to relax. “Do you want to talk about it?” Ibiki asks.

“Aiko and I already did this morning after my appointment.” The rice falls back to the porcelain as her chopsticks clatter on the table. “I was doing really well, too. And now I can’t stop thinking about exactly how much effort it would take to get that off again. I did it once.”

Both men freeze. “Please don’t again, baby,” Raidou says, trying not to frown as she begins to shred the chicken into smaller and smaller pieces. “We want you healthy.” He feels Ibiki’s foot graze his before catching on Sakura’s. “We need you.”

“Like ducks need water.” Ibiki reaches for Raidou’s hand now, trembling slightly in what Raidou knows is worry. He’s seen it before, held the same hand when Sakura was laid up in the hospital nearly too weak to move. Ibiki may be the head of T&I, but where Sakura is concerned? Where the health of someone he loves is in jeopardy?

Ibiki worries.

Ibiki worries, and Raidou is there to steady him. “Food’s getting cold,” Raidou reminds gently. “Do you want me to heat it back up for you?”

“I don’t want it.”

A fight, then. Raidou shuts his eyes and bites back a sigh. It’s been a while--damn near a month--since she last put up a fight about eating. He sees Ibiki about to say something and shoots him a look. It’s not Ibiki’s fault, they’d recognized, that he slips into interrogation space during these times. He slips into the role of weaseling out information, manipulating to his own ends.

It’s hard for everyone to separate work and home and for Ibiki, it’s even worse. “I saw the way you lifted those beams today,” Raidou says as he tears his eyes from Ibiki’s back to Sakura. “The way your body works is incredible to me. Seeing your muscles move, the way your nose bunches a little when you stretch--” he pushes a finger against where it’s wrinkling again, though whether in disgust or amusement he can’t really tell-- “I love it all.”

“Couldn’t stop watching you while you were cooking tonight either,” Ibiki says. His stomach growls, and Sakura cringes. “I love how you move, hon. We both do.”

“You should eat,” Sakura says. “You’re obviously hungry.”

“Against the rules.” Raidou nudges her chopsticks closer to her hand and nods to them. “We don’t eat if you don’t.”

“I don’t deserve it today,” Sakura whispers to the table. “I didn’t exercise like I should have. And I didn’t meal prep either, just made supper.” She shakes her head when Ibiki begins to speak. “I know you’re going to say it’s fine, Ibiki. And then Raidou’s going to say he can help me prep tomorrow when he’s done with work.”

“Because I enjoy it,” Raidou says. “I want to see you taken care of.”

Ibiki sets both hands on the table, palms open, and looks into her eyes. “Please, Sakura.”

Raidou knows he could cut the tension with a kunai as Sakura glares. “I ate breakfast and lunch already, okay?” she snaps. “I ate more before two PM than I used to in a week, so lay off me.”

“Sak--” Raidou begins before she stands abruptly and turns toward the bathroom. “Sakura,  _ no.”  _

__ “I need to pee,” she says, tossing her hands into the air. “You going to sit outside the door to make sure I don’t do anything stupid?”

“Do I need to?” Raidou asks.

_ “No.” _

The bathroom door slams shut as Raidou sets his jaw and turns back to Ibiki. “That went well,” he mutters.

“Go,” Ibiki says, tilting his head toward the door. “Better safe than sorry. We knew it was probably coming soon.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Raidou says. True to Sakura’s word, he hears the sound of water instead of retching when he listens through the wood. His forehead rests against the doorframe as he intrudes--he knows he is, knows how much she hates it--until he hears the sink begin to run. Raidou starts counting to thirty, thankful when the noise stops at twenty-eight. No trying to sneak tonight. 

She sees him settling back down when she comes out. “Satisfied?”   
“I’m proud of you,” Raidou says softly. He turns to face her and takes her hands as she sits. “You know how we do things. We are a team. All three of us. Even when it gets hard.”

“Yeah.” Her fingers shake slightly, as if she’s gearing up to run, and Raidou leans forward to press his forehead to hers. 

“Ibiki and I love you,” he says, feeling for Ibiki’s foot under the table. “Sometimes that means we all need to go through tough shit together, right? That’s what Aiko says.” 

“We’ll stay here until you’re done,” Ibiki says. “You’re not alone.”

Sakura sniffs quietly and Raidou feels the fight go out of her. “That doesn’t make me want to eat, though. I want--” her hands tense-- “I want to go back and puke. It’s not a good day.”

“I have an idea,” Ibiki says. He gets up and settles on her other side, resting one hand on the small of her back. Sakura tilts away from Raidou to press her head into his chest as his free arm comes up to tuck her close. “None of us have missions tomorrow?” Both shake their heads, and Raidou shuffles so his legs are trapping Sakura between them. “Good. Come home after work and we’ll all have a night together? I can get everything ready.”

“Okay,” Sakura mumbles into his shirt.

Raidou laces his fingers through Ibiki’s on her back. “Sure you don’t need any help? I’ve got a later shift, but I could pick something up if you need it.”

“I’ve got it,” Ibiki says with a small smile and kiss to Sakura’s hair. “You two won’t know what hit you. Now eat, please.” He tips Sakura’s face up as he guides her hand back to her chopsticks and closes her fingers. “One bite at a time. Think of how that food fuels you--lets you continue your hospital work, lets you love us. Okay?” Sakura nods and Raidou moves to press his lips to the back of her neck, earning himself a small shiver. “Eat, then sleep, and we’ll get together tomorrow night.”

**

Guarding Kakashi is easy, and Raidou nearly always finds himself absentmindedly staring down at the trees, seeking out patterns in the blossoms. He’d never paid much attention until the night Sakura nearly kicked through Ibiki’s wall into his. After that...well. Of all the people he ever considered ending up with, they were not it.

He accepted them just the same. 

He has no idea what Ibiki has in store for tonight. There’s a little nervousness, some inhibition, misgivings, but mostly trust--Ibiki is ever-perceptive and seems to know exactly what his partners need. On Raidou’s bad days he will sit down with a mug of tea and a book and just  _ rest _ . On Sakura’s he is a rock in the midst of her storm, the wailing wrath when her demons come out to play. 

Ibiki brings calm to  their lives.

It’s dark by the time Kakashi says he’s going home, he can’t read another word. Raidou gives him a curt nod followed by a snort when,  _ immediately,  _ Kakashi whips out an orange book and motions for the ANBU guard to follow him. The shadows in the street flow across Raidou’s skin as he presses the back of his hand to his lips, stifling a yawn. He runs up the steps and unlocks the door to the sight of Sakura at the counter in shorts and a crop top. 

“Hey, Rai,” she whispers, breaking his trance as the door shuts behind him. “I, um...Ibiki told me I should wear this.”

Raidou sheds his jacket, holster, and shoes in silence before moving to stand in front of her, hands on her hips as he stares down. She makes a soft noise into his lips as her back makes contact with the counter and he kisses harder before lifting her to sit on the wood. “Ibiki’s a fucking genius,” he whispers, arms tightening around her waist. “You’re so beautiful.”

Sakura’s hand comes up to caress his scarred cheek. “You are too,” she says. “He really did plan everything out, you know. Turn around.”

Ibiki is staring from where he’s come up by the table, a gentle smile pulling at the lines on his face. “Hungry, love?”

“I could eat.” Raidou settles his back between Sakura’s legs as Ibiki walks forward to slide both hands up and cup his face for a lingering kiss. “Or you could do that again,” he says when they break. His eyes trace Ibiki’s face as the other lights up, pulling him in for another. This one feels like fire, especially when Sakura’s hands begin a slow descent down his stomach. “Just like that.”

Sakura attaches her lips to the back of his neck and curls them up in a smile as she hums. “We could show you the bedroom,” she murmurs. “It’s gorgeous. Perfect for loving you.”

“Sakura,” Ibiki says, a slight edge falling into his voice.

“For loving  _ me, _ ” Sakura corrects. Raidou turns to look at her, tips her face to his for a kiss. “He wants us all to share tonight.”

“Oh?” Raidou asks. He slides his free fingers through Ibiki’s and grins over at the other man. “Sounds like you know what you’re about.”

“Sure you’re not too hungry to worship with me?” Ibiki asks, bending close enough his lips brush the outside of Raidou’s ear. 

“For her? Never.” Raidou can feel the flush creeping through Sakura’s cheek as she ducks her head. Ibiki moves to kiss her forehead, gripping her chin in two strong fingers to bring her to the light. “I will always be here to help you.” 

Never mind the times he’s too exhausted to see, or the days he can barely get out of bed for anyone. 

For her, tonight, he will pretend.

“Take me to bed, Raidou,” Sakura says. She wraps her arms--those  _ gorgeous  _ arms that could move mountains--around his shoulders and lets him pull her hips toward his, hugging him tightly when he begins to walk. Ibiki opens the door for him and immediately, Sakura climbs down to hold him from behind. “I told you it was beautiful,” she says softly into his shoulder, and she has never been more right.

Raidou is pretty sure Ibiki’s thought of everything. There’s fresh sheets on the bed, supplies laid out on the nightstand before three vanilla-scented pillar candles, and a breeze blowing gently through the fair curtains that only adds to the heady scent around them. Sakura’s hands are beginning to work his shirt out of his pants and suddenly they’re gone, replaced by Ibiki’s as Ibiki gently urges her to stand in front of him. “Tonight is hers,” Ibiki says. “She is in control.  _ We  _ are hers, Rai, aren’t we?”

“I am,” Raidou says as she holds his gaze. “How do you want us, Sakura?”

She’s suddenly quiet, clasping her hands together in front of her in a misguided attempt to hide the skin peeking out from below the cut of her top. For all her need to control, when it’s freely given she has a hard time accepting it. She freezes, trips, fumbles with her words before Raidou reaches forward with open palms, a silent plea for her skin against his. “I want you to touch me first,” she says in a rush. “Ibiki...we…” Her throat works as she drops her gaze to the floor. “We’ve been home for about two hours already.”

“It’s your turn,” Ibiki says, and Raidou sighs quietly at the feeling of the other hardening against him. “Help your woman.”

Raidou finds himself pulled by the magnetism in her green eyes, the way the light reflects in their earnest depths. He doesn’t break her stare as he pulls her hand to his lips and kisses each knuckle, repeating for the other as soon as he is finished. “Kiss me?” he breathes, and she slips her hands under his shirt to begin feeling every inch of skin as their lips move against each other. At some point Ibiki turns the light off so when Raidou opens his eyes again, Sakura’s hair is a halo in the moonlight streaming through the window.

Her fingers continue to quest and her eyes stay shut as she attempts to regulate her breathing. “Hold me,” she says. She’s pulling at the hem of his shirt now, tugging it up, and he cradles her face until she nudges his arms up to bare him. Ibiki is standing by the door and Raidou catches Sakura look back to him, call him forward. He slides his arms around her waist from behind and watches as her hands slide up Raidou’s arms to push down on his shoulders. 

Raidou brushes their lips together before making a descent down her body. He whispers praise over her collarbones, hands feather-light on her sides while he pauses to kiss the hollow between her slowly returning breasts. Breath flows into her lungs and expands her chest under his lips and he closes his eyes, sinks into the feeling of life and love that permeates their room tonight. Sakura’s skin is no longer paper thin over ribs that have no business sticking out that far and her stomach--Raidou could kneel here for hours if only he could help her see how much it means to them to see the small bit of extra skin on her. 

She shudders as he smooths his thumbs away from her belly button. Ibiki’s hands are slipping up under her shirt to cup her breasts and then her leg is on Raidou’s shoulder, heel digging into him to press him closer. Raidou huffs against her stomach, Ibiki pushes his hips closer, and Sakura lets out a breathless laugh as they nearly tumble into the side of the bed. “Sorry,” she says. “Guess I was a little excited.”

“You deserve it,” Raidou murmurs.

“Do you want to move to the bed?” Ibiki asks.

Sakura takes a shuddering breath before nodding. “I think that might be best,” she says. Raidou lets his hands fall away as she breaks from them and sits on the edge, fingers shaking as she touches the straps of her top. “Do you want this on or off?”

“Up to you, baby,” Raidou says. “It’s your night.”

She lets her hands fall to her shorts instead. The fabric slides down her legs to reveal black panties with the slightest bit of pink lace around the edge, but Raidou barely has time to appreciate before she’s ordering Ibiki to strip and sit behind her. His clothes hit the floor next to where Raidou’s crouched and Sakura wiggles her hips invitingly as Ibiki pulls her flush against his chest. “With your teeth,” she says when Raidou moves to pull them off.

Ibiki’s pleased hum ripples through the air as Raidou’s lips close over the fabric. Sakura bucks her hips up in an attempt to help him, finally settling with legs spread over Ibiki’s hips. “Can I touch you?” Ibiki asks.

“Play with my clit while Raidou fingers me,” she requests, immediately turning her face onto his shoulder in embarrassment. “I--that’s what I want.”

Raidou wastes no time sliding one finger between her lips. He presses his cheek to the inside of his partners’ thighs as he watches Ibiki begin to touch her, rubbing slow circles over her as Raidou begins to press in. “I love you,” he whispers, and Sakura’s fingers wind into his hair when he adds another finger. None care who he’s speaking to because they know, they  _ know,  _ it does not matter in this moment. 

Sakura arches back against Ibiki’s chest, bringing both arms up to lock behind his neck. Her legs splay further and when Raidou looks up, he can see the underside of her chest poking out from below the shirt. She closes her eyes and groans softly as he begins to stroke her the way he knows she loves, and Ibiki smiles down at him. “Rai,” she sighs. “Don’t stop.”

“Never,” he says, paired with a kiss to the junction of her hip. He brings his other hand to rest at the base of Ibiki’s cock and runs his fingers ever so lightly over the three piercings on the underside. Ibiki shudders, and Raidou continues until he can’t wait another second, pushing Ibiki’s hand out of the way with his nose. Sakura’s taste bursts on his tongue as he licks over her, begins to work for the noises he knows mean she’s about to come. 

Ibiki is more talented at this, he knows, but Sakura wants  _ him  _ for some reason. The pink-haired kunoichi who’s kicked her way into his life  _ loves  _ him and for her he will do whatever she requires. 

Raidou flicks the tip of his tongue over her clit and elicits a small wiggle, then does it again to bring out a low moan. He does it again along with a slow slide out of her and her fingers find his hair to drag him up for a kiss. She cleans his lips with her tongue before delving deeper, free hand guiding Ibiki’s fingers to roam over a breast. There’s no hiding the way Raidou whines into her when she asks he touch himself and not stop fingering her. Ibiki makes a small noise when Raidou pulls away to strip but is placated when she braces herself on the bedframe and lifts up to free his cock, letting it settle in the hollow of her hip.

They’re both--all--lucky it’s not nearly as hollow as it was several months ago, and Raidou’s brow knits at the memory when he bows low to kiss up Ibiki’s shaft. The balls from his piercings drag on Raidou’s tongue as he takes him into his mouth, the muscle molding to fit the form of the man he’s grown to adore. 

The first time they kissed was the first time Raidou considered he was meant for more than a series of one night stands.

“My turn again,” Sakura says to him. “I miss your mouth. Use just that?” 

Ibiki’s hand falls to his hair this time, Sakura returning both hands to his neck. Raidou delves into her heat with all the grace of one of Kakashi’s ninken, but she doesn’t object. He could drown here and it really wouldn’t matter, he thinks, because with the breeze in her hair and his tongue caressing her most intimate areas she seems  _ happy.  _

They stay this way for what could be days, Ibiki’s thighs trembling under Sakura’s while Raidou does his best to pleasure them both. “Is this all you want tonight?” Ibiki asks quietly, and Raidou takes a breath to see Sakura shake her head. “Tell us, baby.”

“I will.” Raidou’s almost back inside of her before she shuts her legs and slips off of Ibiki, ordering him to the front of the bed. “Lay back against him,” she whispers to Raidou. He does, shivering at the feeling of Ibiki rutting gently into him. “I know...it’s a lot to deal with,” Sakura says. She grabs a condom from the nightstand and kneels above Raidou’s knees, turning the packet over in her hands as she bites her lip. “I know it’s a problem and sometimes you want to run, but you don’t. Neither of you do.” The flames flicker in her eyes, shadows dancing along her skin as she drops it and bends forward to slide her hands up Raidou’s chest to his shoulders. “I can probably never repay you for that.”

Ibiki’s hands fall over hers as their lips meet just above Raidou’s head. His cock brushes up against her when she settles back down, fumbling for the condom before ripping it open and rolling it on. “You don’t need to,” Ibiki says. “You are enough. You--living, breathing,  _ loving,  _ Sakura. That is enough.”

Sakura’s hair falls into her eyes as she tries hiding the smile splitting her face. Raidou’s hands settle on her thighs, just loving the her muscles move as she positions herself to sink down on him. Her fingers nearly crush his collarbones when she adjusts, taking as much as he can give. All three stay completely still for several seconds until Raidou  _ swears  _ he can hear their heartbeats sync, and then Sakura rolls her hips.

Her body moving over his is almost too much to take. Her noises--growing slightly louder with each passing minute--threaten to drive him to the brink of insanity as he seeks to memorize each for a soundtrack to haunt his fantasies when they’re apart. The way she contracts around him is a reminder of how far she’s come, from the days she could barely stand to lift a grain of rice to her lips. Ibiki’s fingers lace with hers and Raidou’s angle in her shifts as she leans forward again, settling into the rocking motion she’s learned for the times she’s overwhelmed. 

Here time is no object, and she can take as much as she needs until she’s ready to come back to herself. 

Eventually she simply sits, pulling back from Ibiki to look at them both before sliding her shirt off and tossing it in the corner. “Touch me,” she requests, and Raidou does. He traces the strong lines of her thighs, up the soft skin of her stomach, and over the ink of her rib tattoo before she tires and drags his hands to her chest. “Like this,” she says. “Touch me like I’m not made of glass.”

“Whatever you want,” Raidou says. He just holds her breasts for a second, thumb rubbing over her peaked nipples as she holds onto his wrists like they’re the only thing keeping her from falling off the earth. Ibiki moves his hands to play with Raidou’s chest and Raidou registers the sticky slide of precome on his spine as the other man’s breath begins to catch. “You too, Ibiki,” he murmurs. “I can feel you getting close.”

“Sakura first,” Ibiki says. “Come on, baby, let us see you.”

Her hands fall from Raidou’s wrists to where they’re joined, fingers slipping between them to bring herself off with a sigh torn from an angel’s lips. She leans down to kiss him as she gives him permission to chase his own release, spurred by the feeling of Ibiki coming on his back. He comes to the sound of both partners speaking love over him and he thinks there’s nowhere he’d rather stay than trapped in this moment until the end of time.

“Thank you,” Sakura continues to whisper. Raidou pulls out and she throws her arms around both men, nearly smothering him with her chest before he wiggles up to breathe. “Sorry,” she laughs upon seeing his bemused expression. “Guess you want to be part of this too, huh?”

“Forever more, honey,” he says as he kisses her neck. “For every day I can.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? Feedback is _always_ appreciated and encouraged, be it via kudos/comments/bookmarks or through any of my social media below.
> 
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